Playing court

ABSTRACT

This patent discloses a playing court which resembles turf in feel and in which the upper surface of the court dries extremely rapidly to permit the court to be used immediately after a rain.

United "States Patent 847 7/1950 Winkler... 828 7/1967 Faria.............. 897 12/1968 Humalainen 137 3/1969 l-lenderson...... 312 4/1968 Becker........ 5/1969 Raichle Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers Jr.

[72] lnventors Dean Emerson. Jr.

33 Saddlebrook, Houston, Tex. 77024; Sidney B. Wood. Jr., 430 E. 56th 81.. New York. NY. 10022 p [21] Appl. No. 794,641

[22] Filed Jan. 28, 1969 [45] Patented May 11, 1971 Anorneys.l. Vincent Martin. Joe E. Edwards and M. H. Gay

94/7 EOlc 7/00 94/ 7. (TC) [54] PLAYING COURT 6 Claim, 9 Drawing Figs.

[51] Int. [50] Field of ABSTRACT: This patent discloses a playing court which resembles turf in feel and in which the upper surface of the court dries extremel References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,140,241 5/1915 Birkinshaw et a1.

y rapidly to permit the court to be used immediately after a rain.

Patented May 11, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J/alnfy -19. Wood, 1/1.

Patented May 11, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J/a nefy 15. Wood, J

INVEN'I'ORS BY W 14770 NEVJ PLAYING COURT This invention relates to playing courts, and more particularly to a court in which waterwill run off extremely rapidly and the court may be utilized immediately after a rain.

It is an object of this invention to provide a playing court which is durable, resembles turf in feel, and is self-draining to enable play on the court to resume shortly after a rain.

It is another object to provide a court as in the preceding object in which there is no damage to the surface or subsurface from rain and no danger to players from slipperiness playing immediately after a rain.

Other objects features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the drawings, the specifications and the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like parts:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic illustration of a playing court, such as a tennis court, embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view along the line 7W2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section showing the manner in which two adjoining courts may be laid out;

FIG. 4 is an isometric sectional view with parts lifted for purposes of illustration;

FIGS. through 9 are views similar to FIG. 4 illustrating different modifications of this invention.

This invention may be utilized on any playing field such as the tennis court illustrated in FIG. 1.

In order to rapidly drain water from the court after a rain, it is preferred that the court have a slight slope relative to the horizontal. Also, to insure rapid drainage to the court, or if there are several courts together, the several courts, should be slightly crowned as indicated generally at 10 in FIG. I so that water will drain off to either side. While the sloping of the court might be from one end to the other, it will be apparent that .the court could also slope from the middle toward each end if the surrounding land were entirely flat. If the surrounding land is not entirely flat, then the slope would normally preferably run with the slope of the land. Thus, the court will drain to either side and longitudinally in its preferred form.

In all forms of the court illustrated herein, the soil below the court is rough graded and the court is then built up on the rough graded subsoil.

A base of substantially rigid material is provided over the rough graded surface and this base will slope relative to the horizontal, as discussed above. If the base is to be formed of stabilized soil, as in the case of all the illustrations with the exception of FIG. 9, it is of course apparent that sloping and crowning might be carried out with the base material alone, but it will be preferred to provide at least some of the sloping and crowning with the rough grading.

Considering first the form of the invention in which stabilized soil is used as a base, flurnes as indicated at 11 are dug about the perimeter of the court. Curbs 12 are set about the court perimeter and are secured at spaced intervals with stakes 13. Sharp sand or fine crushed stone 14 is then placed over the rough graded site and within the curbs. This sharp sand is carefully graded to the desired crown. The sharp sand is then stabilized and waterproofed with any desired penetrate such as Sport Soil Stabilizer (Dupont PB 4106) obtainable from E. l. Dupont Company. Any suitable stabilizer may be used to give a base of substantially rigid material.

In the event an existing court is being converted to a court in accordance with this invention, it should be carefully graded with sharp sand or stone and a stabilizer to fill all holes, depressions, etc. and give the desired base surface.

A drainage means is provided on the base by channels which receive rain water. These channels should extend over substantially the entire court to drain water from the entire court. The drainage means may take any of several forms as illustrated in the drawings, but in all forms the drainage means is open to receive water from above the drainage means.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIG. 8, the stabilized sand or stone 144 has channels formed in its upper surface immediately after the stabilizing fluid is added and preferably before it is setup. This may be done by any suitable tool passing over the surface of the base to form or cut channels therein while thestabilizer is setting up. The end result would be as shown in FIG. 8 of a stabilized base having channels in its upper surface as shown at 15. In order that water may drain in all directions simultaneously, it is preferred that the channels 15 be interconnected by cross channels 16 at spaced points.

In the form of invention shown in FIG. 8, the cushion effect for the court is provided by a permeable layer of cushion material 17 and also in part by the covering outdoor rug 18. The cushion layer should be closed cell foam plastic to give a feel of turf underfoot, and the desired sound and height of bounce of the ball. The cushion also protects players in case of a fall. By way of example, the cushion may be foamed polyethylene, foamed ionimer resin, foamed polystyrene, foamed polyvinyl chloride, or any other flexible closed cell material. It may be in a perforated sheet, as illustrated in FIG. 8, .or it may be woven, laid or matted strips of any design so long as perforations are present to permit rapid passage of water through the cushion to the drainage system below.

Above the cushion is an abrasive resistant flexible permeable layer which provides a playing surface. In FIG. 8 this is shown as a layer in the form of a rug or carpet. It could also take the form of a coating of flocked fibers. Where a carpet is utilized, it can be woven, needle punch, felted, etc. The carpet material should be a material having good resistance to sunlight, abrasion and the elements. It should also have sufficient density to resemble sod underfoot and may provide a part of the cushioning effect desired. For instance, the carpet could be made of nylon, acrylic, polyester, propylene, etc.

In construction, strips of suitable width of the cushion 17 are joined together by adhesive tape, or the like, and are laid over the entire court. In like manner, the carpet 18 in suitable strips or pieces is joined together by adhesive strips, or the like, and laid over the entire court. The cushion 17 and carpet 18 extend over the curb I2 and are bent down into the flume 11 and secured in place at spaced points along the flume by suitable nails 19. (See FIG. 2 which is as described except that mat 28 is substituted for the. cushion 17 and provides both drainage and cushion.) After the cushion and carpet are secured in place, the flume is filled with crushed rock as indicated at 21. Drainage mains to drain the water from the flume 11 may be provided at spaced points about the court if desired.

FIG. 3 illustrates the manner in which two adjacent courts are drained by a single flume 22. In this instance the flume is considerably wider and curbs 23 and 24 are provided for adjacent courts and held in place by the stakes 25. The space between the curbs is filled with crushed stone, as indicated at 26, and the cushion and carpet extend over the entire flume.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a form of the invention is illustrated in which the channels for draining water are above the base material. In this instance, the stabilized base 27 has a smooth upper surface.

In order to provide a drainage facility, a means is provided above the base 27 which has drainage channels therein. In this particular instance, the drainage channels are primarily in the lower surface of the cushion material indicated generally at 28. The cushion material is made up of a plurality of plastic members with one layer of plastic members 29 extending in one direction and another layer of plastic members 31 overlying the plastic members 29 and extending in a transverse direction. The plastic members may be of any desiredform and shape. In the form shown in FIG. 4, they are of cellular construction so that each of the plastic pieces will give a cushioning effect. The plastic members 29 and 31 are resilient in nature so that after being crushed they will return to substantially their original form. While a diamond-shaped pattern is shown in FIG. 4, it will be appreciated that the plastic members may extend in any desired transverse direction.

The cushion element illustrated in FIG. 4 is permeable in nature to permit water to pass between the plastic members 31 and flow between adjacent plastic members 29. As the water level goes up to the height of the lower plastic members 29, it is of course free to flow over the members 29 and flow in a transverse direction between members 31 to thus provide for drainage in at least two directions.

Any desired abrasive cover may be utilized and FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the rug 18 described in conjunction with FIG. 8.

In FIG. 5, another form of this invention is shown in which the base 27 has superimposed thereupon a plastic member indicated generally at 32 which is continuous in nature. The plastic member 32 is of cellular resilient construction and is formed with upstanding rectangular blocks 33. As shown, the blocks may be hollow as at 34, if desired. The blocks are spaced from each other to provide the channels 35 to permit water to run in any direction.

Over the resilient cushion the rug 18, or other desired abrasive resistant material may be applied. In this instance the resilient cellular plastic material would provide a portion of the cushioning efi'ect desired and, of course, the rug 18 will also provide a slight amount of cushioning.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 wherein the base 27 is overlaid with the identical cushioning material indicated generally at 32 as in the case of FIG. 5. In this instance, however, the rug is replaced by a grid of plastic material. The material is preferably monofilament plastic with the lower layer of monofilaments 36 spaced apart to overlie the centerline of adjacent cubes 33. The upper layer of monofilaments 37 crosses the lower layer and is secured thereto at spaced points. The upper monofilaments 37 preferably are spaced to overlie cubes 33. The monofilament layers are perforate to permit water to pass therethrough, are flexible, and provide a good wear surface. Preferably the monofilament grid after being laid, is secured to the tops of the cubes 33 by a suitable adhesive to hold it in place over the rectangular sections 33 so that the cushion layer will be protected. If the grid monofilaments are laid nonparallel to the channels between cubes, the spacing of monofilament layers relative to cube centers may be varied.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a form of the invention is shown in which the base 27 has placed thereon the same grid of materi al which is shown as the abrasive layer in FIG. 7. In this instance, the grid of monofilament material acts to provide the drainage channels, and drainage will flow between adjacent monofilaments 36- and over these monofilaments and between adjacent monofllaments 37. It will be appreciated that the upper monofilaments 37 are spaced from the base 27 and will bend to provide a cushioning effect. A carpet I8 is provided as the top element of the structure shown in FIG. 6, and this carpet, together with the bending characteristics of the monofilaments 37, will provide the desired cushioning effect.

FIG. 9 illustrates a further form of the invention in which the base 27 has provided thereon another base material 38;. The base material 38 is of rigid plastic boards joined together with suitable tapes, adhesive, or the like, to make a solid impermeable layer over the base. As in the case of the form of the invention shown in FIGS. and 7, the stabilized soil 27 is substantially protected from the elements and will remain dry at all times. If desired the stabilizer may be omitted from the fill soil 27 as the plastic base 38 will give the desired rigid base.

Drainage is provided in the upper surface of the plastic member 38 by a plurality of channels 39 which are joined at spaced points by cross channels 41 to conduct water in at least two directions and drain the court.

Above the base material 38 a cushion such as the cushion 17 shown in FIG. 8, is utilized to provide the desired cushioning effect. This cushion, of course, is highly permeable to permit water to rapidly pass through to the channels 39 therebelow.

Again the carpet 18 may be utilized to overlie the cushion l7 and provide the permeable abrasive resistant playing surface.

From the above it will be appreciated that several forms of the invention have been shown, and these forms could have their component parts interchanged. For instance, the monofilament grid shown in FIG. 6 might be used instead of the cushion of cellular material 17 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

From the above disclosure it is apparent that the entire cushioning effect may be provided by the drainage layer, or it is of course obvious that substantially all of the cushioning effect could be provided by the top abrasive layer. Note that in FIG. 6 a high proportion of the cushion effect is provided by the top abrasive resistant layer.

As illustrated, the drainage channels may be in the stabilized soil, in a plastic layer over the stabilized soil, or in the upper or lower face of a layer inbetween the base and the abrasive resistant top layer.

It is of course apparent that in forms of this invention such as 4 and 6 a thin impermeable sheet of plastic material could overlie the base27 below the cushion layer to protect the base from contact with water.

While the above specification has been directed to the use of a playing court on which sporting activity is carried out, it will be appreciated that the invention may be utilized in any location where the attributes of the invention are desirable, whether or not sports are involved. Therefore, playing court" as used herein is meant to include any surface on which people carry out any activity.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. A playing court comprising,

a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal,

drainage means on said base,

said means having drainage channels open to receive water from above said means and extending generally parallel to the base over substantially the entire court to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof,

and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable layer overlying said means,

at least one of said drainage means and said permeable layer providing a resilient cushion.

2. A playing court comprising,

a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the.

horizontal,

resilient cushion means of cellular plastic over the entire base,

said cushion means having formed in its entire upper surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof,

and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable element over said cushion means.

3. A playing court comprising,

a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal,

said base having formed in substantially its entire upper surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof,

a resilient cushion of permeable cellular material .over the entire base,

and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable element over the cushion.

4. A playing court comprising,

a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal,

resilient cushion means of permeable material over said base, said cushion means having formed in its entire lower surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable member over said cushion means. 5. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal, drainage means over said base having formed in at least one of its upper and lower surfaces drainage channels open to receive water from above said drainage means and extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable layer overlying said means, 

1. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal, drainage means on said base, said means having drainage channels open to receive water from above said means and extending generally parallel to the base over substantially the entire court to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable layer overlying said means, at least one of said drainage means and said permeable layer providing a resilient cushion.
 2. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid materIal sloped relative to the horizontal, resilient cushion means of cellular plastic over the entire base, said cushion means having formed in its entire upper surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable element over said cushion means.
 3. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal, said base having formed in substantially its entire upper surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, a resilient cushion of permeable cellular material over the entire base, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable element over the cushion.
 4. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal, resilient cushion means of permeable material over said base, said cushion means having formed in its entire lower surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable member over said cushion means.
 5. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal, drainage means over said base having formed in at least one of its upper and lower surfaces drainage channels open to receive water from above said drainage means and extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable layer overlying said means, at least one of said drainage means and said permeable layer providing a resilient cushion.
 6. A playing court comprising, a base of substantially rigid material sloped relative to the horizontal, rigid impermeable means over the entire base having formed in its entire upper surface drainage channels extending generally parallel to the base to drain water from the court to at least one edge thereof, cushion means of permeable resilient cellular material over the rigid means, and an abrasive resistant flexible permeable means over said cushion means. 